I would think a system like that being public would cause a great deal of interpersonal problems until ways to circumvent the data collection were found (even if it meant tearing GPS receivers out of mobile phones).
I remember reading a meta-analysis of lie detection and deception studies in humans, and there was one social psychology experiment where the participants were asked not to lie for the duration of the experiment. They couldn't even use the tactic of "white lying."
Overwhelmingly the participants said it was extremely difficult not to lie and when they couldn't lie, it ended up causing their stress levels to rise and their relationships suffered. Lying, or much more fundamentally - concealing, is a necessary process for maintaining social relationships. [You don't want to tell Mary what you really think about her new dress, and in the same way, you don't want to tell your boyfriend that you're throwing him a surprise party, even if he asks you directly.] As technology becomes increasingly woven into our social fabric, it's going to have to conform with our pre-established patterns.
Trying to remove location tracking from a cell phone is essentially impossible; they're capable of using a system called Assisted GPS which when GPS isn't available, can use things like WiFi signals to help determine where you are; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS#Description
Even if you were to build your own cell phone or dig out an old brickphone without this capability (thanks to the FCC's efforts, basically no cell phone made after 2005 is without it), you can still be triangulated by the network with fair accuracy.
At this point, The Only Winning Move Is Not To Play.
Right, this was a requirement so if you dialed 911 the emergency responders know where to find you even if you didn't know where you are. It is called e911 or enhanced 911.
Comments
I would think a system like that being public would cause a great deal of interpersonal problems until ways to circumvent the data collection were found (even if it meant tearing GPS receivers out of mobile phones).
I remember reading a meta-analysis of lie detection and deception studies in humans, and there was one social psychology experiment where the participants were asked not to lie for the duration of the experiment. They couldn't even use the tactic of "white lying."
Overwhelmingly the participants said it was extremely difficult not to lie and when they couldn't lie, it ended up causing their stress levels to rise and their relationships suffered. Lying, or much more fundamentally - concealing, is a necessary process for maintaining social relationships. [You don't want to tell Mary what you really think about her new dress, and in the same way, you don't want to tell your boyfriend that you're throwing him a surprise party, even if he asks you directly.] As technology becomes increasingly woven into our social fabric, it's going to have to conform with our pre-established patterns.
Trying to remove location tracking from a cell phone is essentially impossible; they're capable of using a system called Assisted GPS which when GPS isn't available, can use things like WiFi signals to help determine where you are; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS#Description
Even if you were to build your own cell phone or dig out an old brickphone without this capability (thanks to the FCC's efforts, basically no cell phone made after 2005 is without it), you can still be triangulated by the network with fair accuracy.
At this point, The Only Winning Move Is Not To Play.
Right, this was a requirement so if you dialed 911 the emergency responders know where to find you even if you didn't know where you are. It is called e911 or enhanced 911.